Looming public-service layoffs causing stress, other problems, Ottawa MDs report

The federal government's attempts to curtail its deficit are going to cause thousands of layoffs in the Ottawa region, where the government is the main employer. The fear of being laid off is causing a great deal of stress among civil servants, and the signs of stress are being seen by the area's physicians. "We are seeing aggravated symptoms in people who have pre-existing psychiatric conditions," said Dr. Marvin Lange of the Royal Ottawa Hospital. "We are also seeing the emergence of new psychiatric symptoms in people who might not ordinarily have had them."